DM Question: Ditching Old Characters Without Dying

[BSF]

I do not really like replacement characters. If the player is really serious about it, that's fine. Most of my players are invested in their PCs anyway, so it isn't an issue. But I can also see a scenario where players look at it and say "Gee, we are going to go investigate that necromancer's tomb next week. This might be the perfect time for me to try out that rogue/cleric PC so I can do a little turning and find traps." Three weeks later, the player looks at it and says "We are getting ready to journey across the Atil mountains. I always wanted to play a ranger." Then two weeks later "We are trying to win support from the high king? You know, I always thought a bard would be fun to try out."

You know, the revolving door syndrome of PCs optimized for the latest encounter, but will be ditched at the drop of a hat when a new encounter comes up where a different class will the the perfect solution.

I let PCs be brought in at one level lower than the previous PC with a limit of no more than 1 level lower than the lowest party member. If the PC concept is what is important, then the player is not hung up on the level. If the PC power is what is important, then switching PCs on a whim looks a lot less appealing.

 

[bweenie]

I'm just worried that if I let the guy switch characters without an XP penalty, some of the more munchkiny players will start switching characters over and over until they get really good die rolls. :/

Jason

you can control their starting abilities as well. Tell them everything starts at 10, you have 20 points to add or subtract as you see fit (with guidelines to prevent min/maxing such as only one stat below 10, only one above 16, etc.)

 

[Jesus_marley]

Since the characters are all at 2nd level anyways, I would have the player RP why his character is leaving. Maybe he realizes that he's just not cut out for adventuring, he prefers the quiet life of a scholar or working on a farm... maybe seeing the life fade from a goblins eyes has scarred him irrevocably...
I would make my judgement based on the RP. If the character simply says "I quit." then make his new character start at level 1, but if he RPs his way out of the story and does it well, reward him with a new character with no penalty.

Above all, use your judgement and be sure to emphasize that changing characters is not something that happens often and is done on a case by case basis only.

 

[HeavyG]

I want to encourage him to play a character he wants to play, instead of sticking around playing an unliked character until he dies, since he is a good roleplayer. But on the other hand, if I don't give him *ANY* XP penalty when he rolls up a new characters, I'm worried that some of the other players will start to abuse the system

The answer is easy then.

Not abuse => start at the same level you were at
Abuse => start one level lower

If you need hard and fast rules, you can just say that the first character change for each player has no penalty and every one after that loses a level.

 

[0-hr]

We've always treated it like a death (new character is at the midpoint of the previous level). But if you are being generous, maybe give people the first one free?

 

[Naathez]

IMO, it's a matter (as many have said) of abuse or not abuse.

I'll try to explain my point with an example.

The one time this happened in a campaign I ran, the player had really tried playing his character, (A "sheriff" - a member of a kind of wandering law-keepers paramilitary corp) who had a low charisma and intelligence (BTW, not an actual dump stat -he'd generally rolled rather poorly, and he DID need something decent in his physical stats to be accepted as a sheriff) - and he conveyed that in game by believing his superiors and following the law as well as he could ("I know I'm not bright enough to decide what's right in some very complicated matters. That's why they have wise people and scholars who write laws,'cause they know what's good". He used to say with a smile.) and stuttering increasingly , to the point of ridicule at times, when tension got worse. It was actually wonderful how he played his character getting frustrated at never managing to calm people down by TALKING, and always having to resort to fists or worse. And he tried, oh he tried.
But one day he came to me and said "Look, I have a problem. I'm not having fun playing Roland anymore. He's just too frustrated. He feels he's not doing a good job. I loved playing him when he believed in what he did, but now he doesn't."

We discussed what he would enjoy. As is the rule in MY campaigns, Roland became MINE to do as I wanted. (And being in the military, more or less, he simply got sent off to war). And we created Gharu the Bloodless, a savage Dwarf expelled from his lost clan for first finding a lost city of the Ancients and then not being able to lead the Clan Elders to see it (there was deep stuff involved, but it ain't to the point now). He loved it. The other players loved it. I loved it. He got no penalty, not a single XP. He'd actually IMPROVED the game for us all.

And that's what it should all be about. Having fun. None of the people I play with would ever abuse this freedom in any way. Were they to, I'd say No. Usually I discuss characters with players before playing, and strive with them really hard to make them build a character they REALLY like - and I find that it makes them happy with the PCs they have, and in no way interested in changing them.
Oh, and BTW, since getting res'd isn't that easy in my campaigns, if someone's PC dies and can't be resurrected they get a new one, no penalty. That's a theory though - none of my PCs ever died. Which means they probably liked their characters enough that they wanted THEM to live, and cared nothing for a full-power substitute. (And I fudged nothing, they simply didn't die - not even when I really, really, REALLY tried.)

OK, perhaps this was too long.... sorry if it was. Hope I made my point.

 

[bfallin]

Our House Rule is, If you change characters you are one below the party avg. At the beginning of that level. IT was never an issue until we got a guy who changed every few sessions hehe.

 

[dcollins]

My question as a DM is... how much XP should I let the player have to create his new character? ... How do all you other DMs handle situations like this?

Yeah, in our campaign we've gone through a number of iterations since 3.0 on this issue.

At some point we've done all of the following:
(1) New PC enters with 75% the XP of the old one.
(2) New PC has XP equal to average of rest of party.
(3) New PC has XP equal to lowest other PC in the party.
(4) New PC is one level down from the old PC.
(5) New PC is one level down from party average.

In our primary campaign (I co-DM) we're currently using #3 for new players and #4 for replacement characters. In my solo games I'm currently using #5.

 

[diaglo]

for our campaign all new PCs begin at lvl 1 regardless of the other party members.

 

[frankthedm]

How do all you other DMs handle situations like this?

Keep your original ability scores, keep your XP total. The new PC starts with 70% value or so of what you left the party with.